PATIENTS are waiting up to 24 hours to be moved from Great Western Hospital’s emergency department to the wards.

Chief Nurse Julie Marshman said around 400 people had been visiting the Swindon A&E daily over recent days.

It has raised questions about whether GWH is big enough to cope with demand.

Hospital chiefs have long complained that they need more beds.

In December, the government announced the Swindon hospital would be getting around £30m to expand the emergency department and make other changes designed to ease bed pressures in the NHS hospital.

Last summer, then strategy director Kevin McNamara told the Adver the hospital estimated it would need an extra 60 to 80 beds by 2028. Demand for inpatient beds will increase by around 30 per cent over the next decade as Swindon expands and the population ages.

What do you think? Is GWH big enough already – or do we need a larger hospital?

Do we need a bigger hospital?

With A&E struggling with lengthy waits, why do you think GWH needs to be expanded?